They represent a migration that turns conventional wisdom on its head. Urban planners have until now proceeded on the assumption that retiring baby boomers will downsize to a high-rise and spend their days lapping lattes and taking the streetcar to the art museum.

A lot of them will. But new data from theU.S. Department of Agriculturesays baby boomers will head to the country in big numbers, in the Northwest changing the face of rural Oregon, Washington and Idaho.